The invention relates generally to a rail network system, and more particularly to a wheel detection and classification system, and a method for detecting and classifying wheels of rail vehicles using such a system.
In the railroad industry, it is often considered desirable to be able to detect and respond to rail vehicle passing a predetermined location. For example, a wide variety of devices may be used in the rail industry for different purposes, such as locomotives, trolleys and so forth. Associated equipment may be used, for example, to detect a train entering a station and provide a signal indicating where to stop so that the cars are in the most propitious location. Such equipment may also be used in a switch yard to count cars and assist in preventing placing too many cars on a specific track. Detectors may also be used to identify a train approaching a grade crossing in order to provide suitable warning signals.
A wide variety of techniques have been employed in the design and operation of such an equipment. For example, light beams and photo detectors cells, weight detectors, light reflecting devices, and magnetic devices have been used. Wheel detectors are employed as key components of various control systems used in railways, including grade crossing warning control systems, hot box detectors, and control systems utilized in hump yards. Wheel detectors require a higher degree of reliability to detect the presence or passing of a car wheel in a safe mode. That is, the detector should recognize failures and unwanted conditions and events so that the control system in which it functions can produce an appropriate warning or take other action. In current railway scenarios, there is a greater need to manage the railway assets to maximize their cost-effective performance.
Managing railway assets could benefit from an ability to differentiate wheels of different dimensions, thereby providing a capacity able to distinguish various types of vehicles on rail tracks, such as trains, push trolleys, dip lorries, rail dollies, and the like. Currently known wheel detection systems, however, are incapable tracking, classifying, and analyzing assets used both in and out of the rail yard.
There is a need for systems and methods capable of classifying rail car wheels of varied sizes. Also, there is a need for systems that are capable of improving the asset management operations through suppression of transit sequences made by maintenance vehicles such as trolleys or dollies.